Post by Keith on Aug 18, 2019 7:26:19 GMT -6

Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away. (Hosea 4:3)

Post by Keith on Aug 19, 2019 7:06:28 GMT -6

CDC probes lung illnesses linked to e-cigarette use

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating a “cluster” of lung illnesses that it believes may be linked to e-cigarette use after such cases were reported in 14 states.

The CDC said there was no evidence that an infectious disease was behind the illnesses and that more information was needed to determine whether they were in fact caused by e-cigarette use.

The CDC is working with health departments in Wisconsin, Illinois, California, Indiana and Minnesota on the investigation. Since June 28, states have reported 94 possible cases of severe lung illness tied to vaping, primarily among teenagers and young adults, according to a CDC statement on Saturday. Of those cases, 30 occurred in Wisconsin.

Post by Keith on Aug 19, 2019 7:07:06 GMT -6

Philippines checks for African swine fever as pig deaths rise

MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines has set up a crisis management team to determine if the deadly African swine fever virus has reached the country after officials detected a rise in pig deaths in some areas.

The Bureau of Animal Industry had reported an increased mortality of pigs “raised by farmers in their backyards”, but further laboratory tests were needed to confirm any outbreak of swine fever, Agriculture Secretary William Dar said on Monday.

The Southeast Asian nation last year put safeguards in place to protect its $5 billion hog industry from the highly contagious disease, for which there is no cure and no vaccine.

Post by Keith on Aug 19, 2019 7:08:27 GMT -6

Ebola spreads to remote, militia-run Congo territory

GOMA, Congo (Reuters) - Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo have confirmed a new case of Ebola in the remote, militia-controlled territory of Walikale, hundreds of kilometers away from where previous cases near the border with Uganda and Rwanda occurred, the Health Ministry said overnight.

Pinga, the village where the case was reported, lies about 150 km (95 miles) northwest of Goma, one of the towns affected by the Ebola epidemic, and much further away from the epicenter of the epidemic in Butembo and Beni.

The ministry data also showed a third case confirmed in South Kivu region, which on Friday reported its first cases, more than 700 km (430 miles) south of where the first case was detected.

Post by Keith on Aug 20, 2019 7:06:47 GMT -6

U.S. records 21 new measles cases as of last week

(Reuters) - The United States recorded 21 new measles cases last week, raising the total number of cases for the year to 1,203 across 30 states in the worst outbreak of the virus since 1992, federal health officials said on Monday.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there had been a 1.8% increase in the number of cases of the highly contagious and sometimes deadly disease between Aug. 8 and Aug. 15.

In a sign that the outbreak is slowing, the CDC in recent weeks has reported smaller increases in the number of measles cases, compared with surges of dozens of cases reported per week earlier this year.

Post by Keith on Aug 20, 2019 7:07:24 GMT -6

Deadly mosquito-borne virus found in second Massachusetts resident, state health officials say

A second Massachusetts resident has been diagnosed with the potentially deadly Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) virus, state health officials announced late last week.

A man between the ages of 19-30 was confirmed to have EEE, a mosquito-borne ailment, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health said. The man was not identified. Laboratory testing confirmed his diagnosis.

The eastern Worcester County resident’s case marks the second instance of a human being infected in the state this year; the first was confirmed last week in a southern Plymouth County man who is over 60 years old.

Post by Keith on Aug 21, 2019 6:58:05 GMT -6

Parts of a wildlife refuge near Denver, Colorado, remain closed after a colony of prairie dogs was infected with plague, a serious bacterial infection that can spread to humans, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced.

Although certain areas of the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, which stretches roughly 15,000 acres, is now open to visitors after shutting completely in July, other parts will likely remain closed until early September, officials said.

The refuge was closed in July “as a precautionary measure to prioritize visitor health and safety,” officials said.

Post by Keith on Aug 21, 2019 6:58:38 GMT -6

One dead, over 100 ill in Spain's biggest listeriosis outbreak

MADRID (Reuters) - A 90-year-old Spanish woman died on Tuesday, 56 people have been hospitalized and dozens more taken ill in what is believed to be the biggest outbreak of listeriosis recorded in Spain, the health minister said.

A nationwide alert was sent out after listeria, the bacteria behind the infection, was suspected in a brand of packaged pork manufactured by Seville-based Magrudis, acting Health Minister Maria Luisa Carcedo told Cadena Ser radio.

“We are monitoring this, the alerts have been sent out and we’ve ordered that all products (that have come) from this factory since May be pulled from shelves,” she said.

Post by Keith on Aug 21, 2019 7:00:49 GMT -6

10 facts on how mosquitoes pose a threat to half the world

LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A warmer climate, travel and trade are helping to spread mosquito-borne diseases as a deadly beast smaller than a paper clip poses a threat to more than half the world’s population.

World Mosquito Day on Tuesday commemorated the discovery in 1897 by British doctor Ronald Ross that female mosquitoes transmit malaria between humans but the World Health Organization (WHO) warns progress against malaria is stalling.

Below are 10 ways that mosquitoes - Spanish for “little fly” - have affected humans and methods to mitigate the risks...

Post by Keith on Aug 22, 2019 5:57:51 GMT -6

Spain issues international alert as listeria cases hit 150

MADRID (Reuters) - Spain’s health ministry issued an international alert over the country’s biggest ever listeriosis outbreak on Wednesday as the number of people affected rose to 150, including one fatality.

Amid concerns over possible infection among the more than 80 million tourists who visit Spain annually, the ministry said it was checking another 523 suspected cases.

Most confirmed cases have been recorded in the southern region of Andalusia, where the packaged pork plant linked to the outbreak is situated. But there have been others as far away as Catalonia in the northeast and more around 50 people remain in hospital.

Post by Keith on Aug 23, 2019 6:27:58 GMT -6

WHO says eradicating malaria 'can be done', but first aim is to control it

LONDON, Aug 23 - Eradicating malaria is biologically feasible and a lofty aim, the World Health Organization said on Friday, but the focus for now should be getting the funds, tools and political will to control it.

Launching the findings of a three-year long analysis of the global fight against malaria, WHO experts said that while ending the mosquito-borne disease “can be done”, it’s not yet possible to put a price tag or target date on achieving eradication.

Setting unrealistic goals with unknown costs and endpoints can lead to “frustration and backlashes”, said the director of the WHO’s global malaria program, Pedro Alonso, so the world should focus first on developing new medicines, vaccines and insecticides to get malaria cases and deaths under control.

Post by Keith on Aug 24, 2019 7:23:55 GMT -6

CDC flags one death and nearly 200 cases of lung illnesses in U.S, possibly tied to vaping

(Reuters) - The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday it had identified 193 potential cases of severe lung illness tied to vaping in 22 states as of Aug. 22, including one adult in Illinois who died after being hospitalized.

The CDC has been investigating a “cluster” of lung illnesses that it believes may be linked to e-cigarette use, although it has not yet been able to establish whether they were in fact caused by vaping.

E-cigarettes are generally thought to be safer than traditional cigarettes, which kill up to half of all lifetime users, according to the World Health Organization. But the long-term health effects of vaping are largely unknown.